Biogenic reefs - cold water corals

[invincible569]

Anyone have any experience with these type of corals?

http://www.jncc.gov.uk/page-1449-theme=textonly

Although most scleractinian reef forming corals occur in tropical regions and in shallow water, there is a group of scleractinian corals which can exist in water between 4 and 12 °C and at depths from c 50 m to over 2,000 m. These corals do not have symbiotic algae but are still able to form a hard skeleton. These corals form colonies and can aggregate into patches and banks which may be described as reefs. The most common cold water coral is Lophelia pertusa which has a global distribution but is most common in the north-east Atlantic. Other cold water coral species include Madrepora oculata and Solenosmilia variabilis and patches of coral often include more than one species (Rogers, 1999 and Long et al, 1999).

[OUinLA]

There is a guy here in LA who collects cold water corals (from this part of the pacific). Not really the same thing but it's a lot colder than our tanks. Anyway, he's the guy that basically invented the chiller. He has had this tank for 18 years and never done a waterchange. Also, some of these colder water corals are even more colorful than our tropical ones. It's really pretty neat but his chiller bill must be insane.

[invincible569]

Madison, that sounds extreme! Any way to get some pics of this? Does he use lighting 9-10 hrs or less? How does he collect these corals if there isnt a demand for them? they are sure to die on shipping unless he collects on his own and knows what he is doing.

[bluereef]

These corals and reefs are close to extinctions ,most are very destroyed.Deep fishing net are tear them apart and because they grow from 1-2 cm in one year they cannot regenerate.Many of that corals are older of 1000 years each.IIRC only Norvegian do something to protect that deepwater reefs,Norveginan ban fishing above the places where coldreef are located.
That reef have similar role in fish breding and protections as their tropical relatives.

[invincible569]

Here are some of the corals in a biogenic reef.. kind of interesting.

[OUinLA]

Edward, i'll see if he has pics posted anywhere, but you'll have to remind me. I don't know him personally. He was a speaker at one of our club meetings last year. If I remember right he collects them himself right here in the SoCal area. I can't remember if he has a special permit or not. I think he does/did have a permit for the corals but not sure about the inverts he collected.